The present application relates generally to the field of airbags and occupant protection systems. More specifically, the application relates to an airbag module that includes an airbag, such as a center side impact airbag (CSIAB).
An airbag module may be provided in a vehicle seat, such as one of the front seats of the vehicle. In particular, a CSIAB is configured to deploy away from the seat to dampen the energy associated with the displacement of the occupant in the inboard direction in the event of a vehicle side impact and to transfer the load of the occupant to the seat frame. The center side impact airbag is also referred to as a far side airbag. An outboard mounted side airbag is also referred to as a near side airbag.
Current side impact airbags have a very fast deployment time to account for the abbreviated distance between the occupant and the impacting vehicle. Outboard mounted side airbags are positioned between the occupant and intruding structure and must inflate and deploy into position within approximately 8-25 milliseconds after crash sensing. Side airbags mounted on the inboard side of the seat must deploy into a position to provide lateral torso restraint when a far side occupant begins to move relative to the seat and begin contacting into the cushion. This relative movement or translation generally begins to occur approximately 40 milliseconds after the crash is detected or sensed. Most conventional side airbag cushions are configured with one larger or primary chamber and inflate to substantially one pressure level, with minimal degradation in pressure over time.